In France, from now on, don't try to reach anyone at the office: in August, "vive les vacances"! Everybody is leaving town, starting with the president and his government, all too eager to advertise how virtuous these three weeks of summer recess are going to be.

First, no one is going abroad. Normal as he is, François Hollande will not rent an estate on an American lake the way his predecessor did when newly elected: he will stay at Brégançon Fortress, the official presidential summer residence on the Mediterranean, just like his old pal and former colleague Chirac used to, a few miles away from Cap Nègre and Carla's family house where the Sarkozys will be spending August.

Among cabinet members, the favourite destination this year is Brittany – English-style weather, sweaters, cold swims, family walks along the beach … Maybe a short interview will be granted to the local paper, stressing the need to get fit for the difficult times ahead, as long as forbidden words such as "austerity" or "rigour" are not mentioned. For the picture, any place in Brittany is a more suitable choice than Saint Tropez, where Chirac is now allowed to go and gaze at pretty ladies at the terrace of café Sénéquier.

Just as all French politicians believe they have to write a book to be taken seriously (or at least put their name on the cover), the ultimate touch for a French minister has to do with his or her summer reading plans. Comic books? A good thriller, Scandinavian style? A sleazy English novel of sorts? No way.

Marisol Touraine, the social affairs minister, plans to read – sorry, to read all over again – Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir, no political hint there. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the young government spokesperson who is also in charge of women's rights, will read Marc Bloch's L'Étrange Défaite – the remarkable essay published after the historian was shot by the Nazis in 1944. A bit highbrow but a good choice, because it explains why the French social and political system is so reluctant to change, and will always seek to protect privileges, big and small, while pretending to support social justice.

The home secretary, Manuel Valls, who has so far scored the best marks in the new team, has soberly declared he is taking his files with him. He will spend some time in Provence, but is likely to keep rushing wherever there will be a local catastrophe. Good picture opportunities, but little rest. As for the president and his tweeting partner, we haven't been told about their book list, but we know where they will read: new sets of hefty cushions have been delivered to Brégançon, which has a few terraces hidden from paparazzi.